PX32010 - OPTICS

Module Identifier	PX32010
Module Title	OPTICS
Academic Year	2001/2002
Co-ordinator	Dr Geraint Thomas
Semester	Semester 2
Other staff	Dr Xing Li
Pre-Requisite	Core Physics Modules at Level 1
Course delivery	Lecture	20 lectures
	Seminars / Tutorials	3 seminars/workshops/exercise classes; 2 tutorials
Assessment	Course work	Example Sheets Example Sheets 11,12,13,15,16 & 17 Deadlines are detailed in the Year 2 Example Sheet Schedule distributed by the Department	30%
	Exam	2 Hours End of semester examinations	70%

Additional learning activities

Video on Optical Interference

Outline syllabus

GEOMETRICAL OPTICS
Reflection and refraction, lenses, aberrations, optical instruments.

PHYSICAL OPTICS
Wave properties of light.
Interference, two-beam interference, then film interference and its applications.
Michelson interferometer, multiple-beam interference, Fabry-Perot etalon.
Diffraction, Fraunhofer, single slit resolution, double slit, diffraction grating, introduction to Fresnel diffraction.
Polarisation, birefringence, uniaxial crystals.

MODERN OPTICS
Introduction to holography and non-linear optics.

Module objectives / Learning outcomes

After taking this module students should be able to:

Understand the basic principles of geometrical optics and apply them to the design of simple optical instruments.
Understand optical interference and its uses in optical devices and techniques.
Understand diffraction and the limits it sets to the resolution of optical instruments.
Understand the basic principles of polarisation and wave propagation in uniaxial crystals.
Answer numerical problems in geometrical and wave optics applied to simple systems.

Module description

The aim of the module is to provide students with a basic understanding of the fundamentals of optics. Part of the course is concerned with geometrical or ray optics, from the basic principles of reflection and refraction to the properties of lenses and simple optical instruments. Another section deals with physical or wave optics, concerning interference, Fraunhofer and Fresnel diffraction and leading on to polarisation and the optical properties of birefringent crystals. The course ends with an introduction to the modern topics of holography and non-linear optics.

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Keller, Gettys and Skove. Physics Classical and Modern.
Jenkins and White. Fundamentals of Optics. ISBN 0-07-385346-0